A Bar in Seireitei
by King and Commoner
Summary: There is only one bar in Seireitei, and only one bartender. Look deeper into the lives of the shinigami through the eyes of Nisshoku Yasuhiro.
1. Prologue

This is my first submission, so I know it won't be as good as many fics out there. Please Read and Review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, but the story is my idea.

**Prologue:**

There is only one bar in Seireitei. It is located north of the noble's estates, and to the west of the Gotei 13's barracks.

The bartender has never been seen outside of the bar. He brews his own beer, distills his own liquor, and ferments his own wine. He keeps a greenhouse on his roof in which he is said to be able to grow anything. Nobody knows how it works, but rumor has it that if Urahara Kisuke walked into the bar his drinks would be free, even as he was arrested by the Stealth Force.

The bartender is a shinigami, but has never been a part of any division. When asked, he claims that he avoided service due to an incident involving Captain General Yamamoto, two kegs of his ale, several gallons of whipped cream, and three crates of fireworks. The last person who brought this up outside of the bar found his way to the fourth division. Naked. And on fire.

There are three rules in the bar, and the bartender is allowed to enforce them on whomever breaks them regardless of status. The First Rule: There is no fighting in the bar, anyone who fights in the bar will be removed for as long as the bartender deems necessary. The Second Rule: Any broken furniture will be replaced by those who broke it, and they shall be banned from the bar for as long as the bartender deems necessary. The Third Rule: If the bartender decides you should be banned from the bar, you shall be banned from the bar for as long as the bartender deems necessary.

Nobody knows if anyone has ever actually broken a rule in the bar. However, every few years a rumor circulates about young recruits who attempted to defy the bartender and disappeared for several days only to show up in the Fourth Division whimpering for mercy.

* * *

"So Kuchiki-san, I heard your little sister is finally joining the Gotei 13. How does it feel big bro?"

Byakuya Kuchiki glared at the bartender and set down his sake. "I did not come here to let you mock me bartender." His voice was cold and threatening, but the bartender just smiled merrily back at him. Kuchiki's power stopped at the door and he knew that. The bartender could never resist a chance to knock some of the nobles down a peg or two when they sat at his bar. In his opinion, it was his job in the Gotei 13, making sure that nobody's ego got too big. Of course, everyone else knew that he just enjoyed being the man who could put people like Byakuya in their place every once in a while.

The bartender chuckled and resumed wiping the remaining water off of a beer mug. Holding up he saw his lavender eyes reflected in the glass and nodded in approval. As he set it aside he grabbed another bottle of sake and placed in in front of Byakuya.

"How do you always know when to serve another bottle, Nisshoku?"

"It's easy when there's only one person here. Plus you drink really quickly when you're upset about something."

"What makes you think I'm upset, bartender?"

"You can't lie to me pretty boy. You've been worried about your sister joining the 13 since you strong armed that family of yours to adopt her. I can't wait to see your tab when she actually leaves Seireitei for an assignment."

"I suggest you keep your theories to yourself, barkeep." Byakuya's looked into the barkeeps eyes and set his money on the bar. "I would not wish to hear such falsehoods again."

"Hollow words Kuchiki, hollow words."


	2. Chapter 1: Rukia and Renji

This chapter takes place just before Rukia leaves for Kurakura. After this chapter events will take place alongside the initial points of the manga. However, Yasuhiro will not be affected by the events until the start of the Seireitei arc. There will probably be two to three chapters before that happens.

Read and Review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, but the story and Nisshoku Yasuhiro are mine.

**Chapter 1:** Rukia and Renji

Yasuhiro carefully wipes down the bar. His customers for the night have spread throughout the room. In one corner, a crowd of people cheer at Matsumoto Rangiku's and Captain Kyoraku's latest drinking contest. By his count their tied, but their contests usually last longer than people are willing to watch anyway. On the other side of the room Captain Ichimaru and Captain Sosuke are having a quiet conversation. Yasuhiro notes that Aizen forgot to remove his Zanpakuto again, but he lets it be. He doesn't recall ever even seeing the man draw the blade before, and he doubts it would happen tonight. The bartender glances at the window as the rain pounds against the glass. He does not expect to get many more customers tonight.

"Come on Rukia, it's your first mission outside of Seireitei. We have to celebrate!"

The door to the bar opens and a man with long red hair pulls a short black haired woman inside. Renji is grinning as he drags her through the entrance, but Rukia is clearly distraught at the thought of coming into the bar.

"Rukia, this is Nisshoku Yasuhiro, the best bartender in Seireitei."

"It's been longer than usual Renji-san, what's been keeping you away from my bar this time?"

"N-nothing you won't find out soon enough anyway Yasuhiro-san."

The bartender nods and ties up his bronze hair to keep it out of his eyes. "No need to look so nervous Kuchiki-san, your brother comes in here often enough that he has no right to say anything against it."

"My brother drinks? I don't think I've ever seen him touch alcohol unless it would be rude to avoid it."

"Everyone drinks Kuchiki-san, though Byakuya avoids drinking too much and tends to stick with sake, boring man if you ask me."

Rukia gasps at his words and quickly looks around to make sure that nobody heard him. Yasuhiro laughs at her worry and invites her to sit. The petite woman nervously sits in the stool next to Renji and glanced at the wall behind the barkeep. "I don't know what to order."

Renji chuckles and agrees to order for the both of them. "Since this is Rukia's first time drinking, let's keep it simple, two of those ales of yours."

"A first timer, huh? Why would you take a first timer drinking on a beautiful night like this?" As Yasuhiro speaks a flash of light shines through the window and the building shakes with thunder.

"Ha Ha Yasuhiro," Renji scoffed. "Where else are we gonna go? We have to celebrate Rukia-chan's first solo mission outside of Seireitei somehow."

"So your first missions coming up, eh Rukia-san? Sounds like you'll be making some fond memories of the living world. Any chance you could bring me back some coasters while you're there?"

"W-What?" Rukia seems surprised at being spoken to. "It's nothing too exciting just some patrol in a little town. I think it's called… Carrotura or something like that."

"Don't be so nervous, Rukia-san. This is a bar; you're supposed to relax."

"I'm sorry Nisshoku-san, but I'm worried about my brother's opinion of the mission. He seemed really disappointed when I didn't get a seated position right away."

"I wouldn't worry about that, Rukia-san. Byakuya is a confusing man, but I have no doubt that when the time comes he will show you that he cares. He may be a little anal at times, but I don't think he's disappointed in you."

"I'm not so sure about that. Brother only seems to care for the rules."

"That's just what he wants people to think. Right now he's trying to place the world into the black and white picture he thinks it should be. But, sooner or later he'll realize how much he misses by taking away the colors. Trust me, Byakuya will get better, I'd stake my bar on it."

"If you say so."

"In fact, I bet when you come back from this mission of yours and tell him about all of the great things you did, it'll be the push that knocks his ego back into place."

"I don't think so. It's just boring patrol duty. I'll be happy as long as I don't become the biggest screw up in history."

"Now, now, Rukia-san, you'd be surprised at how fun these trips can be. Just thinking about all of the bars down there makes me smile. As for screwing things up, I can assure you that there is no way you can screw up worse than Renji here did. In fact, how 'bout I tell you about the first time my favorite little redhead went into the human world unsupervised huh?"

"Don't. You. Dare. Yasuhiro," Renji glares at the bartender and tightens his grip on his drink. "You promised me you would stop using that as an example story."

"Come, on Renji it's a cute story, don't get your eyebrows all twisted up. Besides, I said I would stop as soon as I found a better one to tell the newbies, and, considering your fiasco, that might not happen for a couple hundred years."

"If Renji doesn't want you to tell it, that's alright," Rukia interjected.

"Don't be silly, everyone should hear a story like this before heading into the mortal world. Besides, if I didn't get to embarrass people like Renji here, this job would hardly be worth it now would it? Now let's get crackin' shall we?

"It happened about four years ago. Renji finally managed to badger a _fun_ mission out of Ikkaku and Yumichika. Apparently he'd been getting left over scrap since he joined the eleventh. Anywho, the mission took him to a place in the human world called New York for two weeks. It's a big city with a lot of bars and way more people than they should be able to fit in it. Unfortunately for Renji here, they forgot to tell him about some of the more interesting parts of the city. So here he is, walking around in his gigai, when a kid in a hoodie asks him if he wants to meet Lucy.

"It turns out that our beloved officers of the eleventh forgot to tell Renji about certain … recreational drugs and their various nicknames. So, the next thing those two know the twelfth division is asking them why one of their members decided to leave his gigai in the middle of his street, release his shikai, and slice up various buildings around town. So, Ikkaku goes after him and hears him screaming at this giant television screen and swinging Zabimaru at it. So Ikkaku tries to stop him, and in fact ends up knocking him out for a few minutes. But, as soon as he turns around to open up the gate, Renji here catches sight of the Statue of Liberty, its' this really big monument these people have sitting in the middle of their harbor, and decides that it is a giant hollow. So Renji does what any newbie eleventh division member would do in a situation like that, he takes one look at the giant hollow, screams his head off, and charges straight at the thing's head.

"Now, Ikkaku wasn't in the best mood at this point. He was dragged away from a spar by the Twelfth Division, forced into the human world to chase his subordinate, who was definitely taking something he shouldn't be, and now he had to go after said subordinate a second time, after Renji managed to slice the arm off of one of the more famous landmarks in one of the most famous cities in the world. So he used the skills he'd gained as a seated officer in the most battle-hungry division of the Gotei 13, and skewered Renji's shihakusho to the nearest wall, only for this wonderful red head to keep running.

"So a couple hours later, we get a blushing Ikkaku carrying a mostly naked Renji through the streets of Seireitei on his way to the fourth division, just when the Captain General is doing his inspections of the barracks."

Yasuhiro paused in his story and looked Rukia in the eye. "Rukia-san, I have known Yamamoto for hundreds of years. I have seen the man angry, happy, sad, and tired. But, until that day, I had never even heard of the Captain General being speechless. He took one look at those two and stopped in his tracks, he did not move, he did not speak, and from what I'm told, most people were pretty sure he wasn't breathing. That old man stared at them for almost five minutes before he moved an inch. I asked him about it later and he told me what it was that made him freeze like that. It seems, that he was wondering how painful it must have been for Renji's tattoos to go _everywhere_."

The bartender glanced at Renji and held back a laugh. At some point during the story he had sunk so low that he had slipped off of the stool and onto the floor. Now, he was trying to crawl away from the bar before Rukia realized he had left.

"Come on Renji-san, don't be that way. It's a fun story!"

"Fun for you, Yasuhiro. Do you have any idea how many new recruits have asked me about that story in the last few years?"

"If I'm doing my job right then … all of them."

"Um, Nisshoku-san?" Rukia broke into the conversation. "How do you know that story? Renji mentioned earlier that you never leave the bar."

"I got the mission report from a trusted source. It's amazing what you can buy with candy these days."


	3. Chapter 2: Unohana Retsu

AN: I know I exaggerate the properties of champagne in this chapter, but it works better for the story than if the champagne followed real world logic. Also, Happy 4th of July to my American readers.

Chapter 2: Unohana Retsu

"I'm guessing you left Isane-chan in charge for tonight eh, Retsu-senpai?"

"She can handle herself while I'm here. I don't take many days off but I am more than confident in her ability to run the division for a night."

Yasuhiro nodded and resumed cleaning up for the night. He had reserved tonight for a class reunion of sorts. Shunsui and Jushiro would be a while before arriving, but he and Retsu had not seen each other in a long time, so they had a lot to talk about. His old friends could only visit so often, not counting Shunsui's drinking competitions with Rangiku, and he enjoyed speaking with them in private whenever he could.

Retsu sipped her wine before continuing. "Besides, it's not like an entire division will try to kill itself tonight."

"Knowing Kenpachi's group, they might come close. I hear he's been particularly adamant about finding a good fight recently."

"Perhaps he just needs to be humbled. You could always volunteer for the job."

"Fight Zaraki? Not happening. If I was a fighter I would have never been allowed to open this place."

"You were one of the best bakudo users in the class."

"Bakudo is great for tying up rowdy graduates. Going against Kenpachi is another matter entirely."

Retsu sighed and gazed into her glass. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Making excuses. If you don't want to leave the bar, just say so."

"I do believe that I have no idea what you're talking about senpai. I have left this bar on numerous occasions. In fact, just last week I had to go all the way to one of the gates to deliver an order."

"_Really_? What time was it?"

"3 or so in the morning, give or take an hour. But enough about my schedule, what's been happening over in the fourth?"

Retsu looked annoyed at the change in subject but humored the bartender. "We have been working with the twelfth on some new equipment. You see, in the human world their hospitals have machines capable of mapping the internal organs and muscular structures of the patient. Our researchers are working on making one for us."

"I think I've heard something about them. Why can't you just bring one of them back into Seireitei?"

"An MRI is not like liquor. It is incredibly large and heavy. Acquiring one is expensive. And even then it could only be used for studying because powering large human devices on free reishi is ill advised. The last time someone tried to do that I had to host half of twelfth division for a month. But even if we could use their version, the problem isn't power. The machines in the human world use magnetic pulses to react with the nuclei within a human's body."

"But, we're not made of atoms. We're made of reishi."

"Exactly, and getting a machine to react differently to the reishi in blood than the reishi in tissue is difficult. The main problem lies with the manner that reishi builds us. As far as we have discovered, it does not react any differently when building a body than it does when building a wall. We can manipulate it into different shapes, but the size, mass, and density of the individual particles is constant. Reishi particles don't act like atoms. No matter what material they are used to make the individual particles are identical."

"What about the density of the clusters of particles?"

"We tried that too. It is the only real difference we can find between various objects, but when we try to calibrate the machine to read it, it refuses to penetrate the skin."

"Well you do sound like you have a problem … WHICH IS WHY I HEREBY DECLARE THAT IT SHALL NOT BE DISCUSSED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT!"

Retsu was startled at his change in tone, but began to giggle. "And why, oh wise and mysterious bartender, would I agree to that? Aren't nights spent in bars meant for moping over problems."

"Problems of the heart, yes. Problems with family and friends, of course. Problems with the law, definitively. BUT! What you have is a problem of the mind, and problems of the mind are banned from bars. People come to bars to relax and let go. A problem which requires mathematical formulas and complicated mechanics does not belong in a bar. If you wish to take care of such things you go to a library or a coffee house with free wifi. Such problems must seek to exist upon crossing the threshold of a bar!"

Retsu could not hold back her laughter. "Very well, what shall we talk about then? Would you like to educate me in the fine arts of brewing beer?"

"Brewing the beer is not the difficult part."

"And what is?"

"Reproducing it. Every a little change can make a very big difference in the beer. Even if the ingredients used are identical, a completely different beer can be produced with minor adjustments to the recipe. How much malt did I place into how much water? At what point during the boiling process did I add the hops? Did I add the hops all at once or in several doses? Did I send it through the hopback? How long did I allow it to ferment before placing it in a keg? I have been brewing beer for longer than any living brewer and most dead ones, and yet I doubt I have every created two kegs with exactly the same beer. I may be able to advertise them as the same brew, but the taste is never identical."

"Then why bother trying to reproduce it at all?"

"Because, people come into a bar and expect a sense of normalcy. If I cannot reproduce the same beer, or at least a very similar one, that they had three weeks earlier then they lose that expectation, and the bar loses some of its magic. It's like Christmas, if nobody believes in its power, then it really doesn't have any."

"Did you really just compare your bar to Christmas? You weren't even alive when Japan knew about Christmas!"

"And yet, I believe that it is a magical day when dreams can come true. My point still stands."

"Are you this pompous with all of your customers, or do you reserve it for old friends."

"Old friends get pompous; customers get annoying, condescending, or saging."

"Saging?"

"I couldn't thing of a way to say I was acting all wise that ended in -ing."

"Counseling? Guiding? Advising?"

"Okay, so I'm not so great with vocabulary. Doesn't mean I can't give good advice."

"And what would you advise we do now, Yasuhiro-kouhai," Retsu said with a smile.

Yasuhiro's lavender eyes sparkled in the dim bar-light. He stood to his full height and reached up to the top of the shelves behind the bar, pulling out a bottle of champagne.

"Showing off that you're a foot taller than me doesn't count as advice."

"No, but suggesting that we teach Shunsui and Ukitake a lesson for being an hour late does."

"And how should we do that? Those two could sense anything you tried to do to them long before it happened."

"True, but Shunsui could never resist free booze, and that is why I have a lovely bottle of champagne here."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Champagne is a rather volatile drink. While many of my concoctions fizz and foam, champagne truly bubbles. Properly opening champagne requires a very steady hand and a strong grip on the cork, else it goes flying and the champagne overflows dramatically, even exploding from the mouth of the bottle like a geyser at times. Now, Shunsui is normally good enough to avoid this, but if we properly agitate the champagne beforehand it will work out fine."

"Fine, but I was under the impression that that wouldn't work with the way you bottle it. I know you bottle it tightly enough that shaking it will do almost nothing to the liquid inside besides stir it around. You don't leave any air in the bottle at all."

"True, but I don't plan on being the one to shake it." Yasuhiro reached down and pulled out a pair of headphones and an old cd player. He strapped the headphones around the bottle and turned up the volume to its maximum. "You see, if I shook it the motions would be large and exaggerated, but if I use the headphones then the vibrations pass through the liquid, vibrating each molecule separately, causing a very different reaction."

"So the trick is to cause the particles to vibrate just differently enough to exaggerate the total agitation and create a much more potent reaction."

Yasuhiro smirked. "Exactly, and since the glass vibrates even more differently than the champagne, the reaction is even greater."

Retsu's eyes widened. "Wait, if the glass vibrates differently than it must be caused by the different densities in reishi particles, which means that . . . I apologize Yasuhiro, but I have to leave immediately."

Yasuhiro's grin grew wider as Retsu rushed out the door. "It's always the simple answers that escape the brainiacs. Leave it to a bartender to remind a doctor about simple logic. After all, Seireitei's not that different from the mortal world."

Yasuhiro took the champagne and returned it to the top shelf. "One of these days I'm actually gonna use that for something more than showing off, but for now I think it still has a few lessons let to teach."

When the door opens for Shunsui and Ukitake the streetlight sends a beam up to the top shelf, landing on the bottle that had never been opened and revealing a small note written on the label.

'To My Darling Hotaru; May you be the light that forever guides me home"


	4. Chapter 3: Kiyone and Sentaro

**KaC: The first half of this chapter is mainly exposition. I needed to make sure I kept the time in the bar at least somewhat tied to the plot of the manga, as much for my sake as for continuing the story. As a result, the quality may not be up to the same level as the rest of my writing (however good that usually is, I'm a bad judge of my own work)**

Chapter 3: Kiyone and Sentaro

Yasuhiro had a headache. He had learned to handle Yumichika's criticisms. He could counter Mayuri's insanity. He had fought off Rangiku's drunken advances. He could subdue Kenpachi's anger. He had discovered how to turn Yachiru into a useful ally. But, these two were impossible.

Kotetsu Kiyone and Kotsubaki Sentaro, the two third seats of the thirteenth division. Separately, they were actually rather enjoyable company. Both were relatively intelligent people, and could hold an incredibly interesting conversation. Of course, those two had never been seen apart since they were simultaneously promoted to third seat (nobody know if this was done on purpose or if there was a mix up when Kaien sent out the letters).

Of course, they still had a use when they came into his bar. Without these two he would rarely find out anything about the thirteenth division. Most Shinigami never even bothered to learn what their duty was in Seireitei. In fact, if he had not been there the day that Ukitake took over the division, he probably would have never learned himself. The Thirteenth division specializes in nothing. They recruit students who were capable of doing every task adequately. This simultaneously makes them the least conspicuous and most dangerous of the divisions. They would never be targeted first because they would not appear as a threat, but they are the most capable of acting independently. They do not have to be organized for a specific duty; every member of the division is capable of doing whatever duty is necessary before moving onto the next task. For the same reason, members of the thirteenth are the most likely to be sent out on solo missions. While the eleventh is more commonly used for short term and high risk Hollow exterminations, the thirteenth can send out members of month long missions with little chance of failure.

But that didn't mean they couldn't be annoying. Kiyone and Sentaro are currently in the middle of another shouting match. Apparently, they brought tea to Ukitake at the same time, again, for the same reason, again, and they both wanted to be recognized for it. Yasuhiro sighed and was about to go to the back room to get some extra sake when Kiyone said something that made him freeze.

"Kiyone! Did you just say Rukia?" The girl nodded. "As in Kuchiki Rukia, Byakuya's sister?" Another nod. "What happened?"

Sentaro jumped in. "She's missing Yasuhiro-san. She was on time for everything for the first couple of weeks, and then she just disappeared. No reports, no messages, even her reiatsu has almost completely vanished."

"She couldn't be dead could she?"

Kiyone took over, pushing Sentaro out of the way. "We were worried about that at first, but every time a Hollow appears in Kurakura, it's slain within an hour. She's the only Shinigami in the area, so she has to be alive."

"Well, if that's the case then I'm sure she's fine. It's not like Kurakura is a major Hollow attractor."

"Actually…" they both spoke at the same time.

"What?"

Sentaro talked first. "Just last night there was a massive influx of Hollows. There were easily over a thousand, but they were being destroyed all over the city. It was almost like there were multiple Shinigami in Kurakura."

"That can't be right, I know for a fact Kurakura's not big enough to get multiple Shinigami assigned." 'Unless Kisuke stepped in, but he would have had to take a very special interest in the situation for that to happen. Of course, with that many Hollows there … Well I hope that's the case. Anyone else who could have helped would be bad news for Rukia.'

Kiyone spoke up next. "Actually, there was something else that happened. When, enough Hollows were destroyed, a Menos Grande appeared."

The glass Yasuhiro was cleaning fell to the floor. His lavender eyes grew wide. He looked down at his left hand and saw it shivering, and even he could not tell if it was in fright or anticipation. A Menos Grande. There hadn't been one of those in the Human World since … his right eye darted too the shelves behind the bar before he composed himself.

"E-excuse me for a moment." Yasuhiro disappeared into the back, returning with a broom and dustpan. He took his time sweeping up the broken glass. He watched his hands as the broom moved slowly across the floor, collecting the crystalline shards, taking comfort in the familiar movements. He forced the memories back into the corners of his mind and took the glass into the back room.

When he reappeared, he had returned to his calm self. He picked up a new glass and began to polish it. He returned to the two third seats and renewed the conversation. "What was a Menos doing in Kurakura?"

"Nobody knows," Sentaro said. "All that we know is that it was only there for a few minutes before something made it retreat."

"Retreat? It wasn't killed?"

The two members of the Thirteenth remained silent. They shook their heads in the negative, and their eyes begged for the conversation to end. Yasuhiro sighed, he knew why they wouldn't continue the conversation. Nobody liked discussing Menos Grande with him, and for good reason.

The bartender nodded in acceptance, he allowed the two to pay their checks and leave.

* * *

*Several Hours Later*

When the last customer had left the bar, Yasuhiro locked the door and closed the blinds. He walked straight to the back room and up the stairs to his garden. Once there, he moved to the back of the room, where a large television was imbedded into the wall. He pulled a small remote out of his jacket pocket and pressed the button labeled number two.

"Tessai, I have a message for Urahara, and tell him he better call me back damn quick."

* * *

**Omake/Chapter 3.5: Yachiru #1**

The next morning, Yasuhiro returned from his bedroom on the second floor to see a blot or bright just barely visible over the bar. The bartender smiled at one of his favorite customers at he reached into the back of his shelves and brought out a jar of candy.

"Yachiru-fukutaicho, to what do I owe the pleasure."

"Hi Murasake! I got Yun-Yun to get some of those brown bottles you like from the human world!"

"Thank you, Yachiru. Do you have anything else for me?"

"Uhuh, Ken-chan took me to the _Big_ Meeting yesterday. Everyone though I was asleep, so I got lots of stuff to tell you."

"Good to know. Take as much candy as you want, as long as you remember to wait until your outside to eat it." Just in case, Yasuhiro took the bottles off of the bar and placed them on the shelves.

"So what did the captain's say?"

"Ukki said that Byakushi's sister is missing.'

"Really? That doesn't seem important enough to be mentioned in their meeting."

"That's what Shimo-chan said."

Yasuhiro snorted, "Does Hitsugaya know you call him that?"

"Uhuh!" Yasuhiro said happily. "He said it's puerile!"

"Brilliant."

"Yep! Anyway, Ukki said that it was odd because she was in such a small town. And then, Mayurin said there was a big Hollow there earlier. And then Byakushi's face got all funny, it was like he was trying to hold an egg in his mouth. And then Gramps said we had to go get her, and me and Ken-chan wanted to go cause more big Hollow might be there, and Ukki wanted to go because he said he's in charge, and Shun-Shun wanted to go cause he said that there was lots of fun stuff down there, and Hachikappu said she should go in case Kuchiki was hard to find, and Byakushi wanted to go after his sister and Gramps said he got to go cause she was family and Ukki got mad and then Ken-chan got happy for a fight but Gramps stopped him and "

"That's enough Yachiru, I think I get the idea." Yasuhiro managed to break in after writing down the nicknames Yachiru gave everyone. 'I love blackmail material, it's so fun to get a leg up on the captains.' "Is there anything you want to know Pinku-chan?"

"Uh… oh yeah! Baldy wanted to know why you don't have to wear a uniform like the rest of us!"

"That's all? No blackmail on Byakuya? No photos of Rangiku? No recordings of Shunsui's drinking songs?"

"Nope!" Yachiru said cheerfully.

"Okay then. The main reason I don't wear a Shihakusho is because I never joined a division, so I'd have to get one specially made. At least, that's how I justified it when the nobles ask about it. They like to believe its to save money. But, the main reason I wear this suit is because it. Is. Awesome. Look at it! This jacket is pure silk, and its dyed black with an all-natural dye. The red tie is a hand-crafted seven-fold tie form Paris. And the shirt, which is also silk, is dyed Tyrian purple, imported straight from Greece! Pinku-chan, let me tell you right now, there is no greater article of clothing than a well-made suit."

"Wow Murasake! Do you think Ken-chan would like a suit?"

Yasuhiro flinched, Kenpachi would almost definitely rip any suit he put on. 'But, I must admit, he would look amazing in a suit, not as good as me, but pretty amazing for sure.'

"You know what Pinku-chan, if you bought him a suit, I'm sure he would love it. But, don't be surprised if he can't wear it cause all the other captans may get jealous, okay?"

"'Kay. Do you have any more candy?"

"Not right now, Pinku-chan. I'll get more as soon as I can. Remember to share it." He knew better than to say it. He had tried before. 'Please don't hurt the suit this time Yachiru.'

Yachiru's eyes grew dark, and her hair began to float away from her head. A pink aura surrounded her at took the form of a cat's face. She clutched the jar closely to her, and her voice grew deep and demonic. **"NO! Nobody! Touches! My! Candy!"**

"Okay, okay. I understand. But, if you aren't going to share would you do me one more favor?"

Immediately, Yachiru returned to her normal bubbly self and her voice became that of a child's once more. "Sure!"

"Okay, Mayuri hasn't been in in a while, which means I'm missing out on a lot of interesting information from him about his latest experiments. Gruesome as they are, I need to know what changes could be happening in Seireitei. I need you to get him to come in here, without him realizing it's your doing of course."

"Okay! How do I do that?"

"Just make sure that when you eat that candy you're within a few blocks of Twelfth Division. I doubt you'd even need to get inside it before he feels like drinking."

"Ooh! I like that, do I get extra candy for it?"

"As always Yachiru. Just make sure people don't find out you get it from me. I don't want the Old Man to get on my case for giving you candy."

He smiled as Yachiru walked out the door. He had to admit that he always enjoyed when Yachiru visited. She had a way of making his whole day more interesting. That, and giving her ideas for her pranks really made for some interesting stories later in the day.

"Wait, did she say something about Byakuya going after Rukia? Shit! I need to give Urahara a call. If they find out where he's hiding, he's dead!"

**KaC: I'll give a cyber-cookie to anyone who can figure out what Yasuhiro, Toshiro, or Soi-Fong's nicknames means gets a cyber-cookie. If you guess all three, then you get a cyber-cake!**

**On another note: Ichigo will invade Seireitei Two Chapters from now!**


	5. Chapter 4: Yamada Hanataro

**KaC: Yachiru's nicknames: Shimo-chan (Hitsugaya)= Frost, Hachikappu (Soi Fon)= Hachi + Kappu = Bee Cup (I find that funnier that I should), Murasake (Yasuhiro)=Murasaki (Purple(The color of his eyes and shirt)) + Sake (If you found this fanfiction and haven't come across the word before, shame on you)**

**It's a glorious day 'cause I finally get to write the Hanataro chapter. This is also the chapter where Yasuhiro begins to indirectly affect the Canon plot.**

Chapter 4: Yamada Hanataro

The bartender whistled happily as he flipped the sign in the bar's window to open. While walking back to his post he glanced out over the floor, counting the chairs. Of the 10 tables of four there was a single missing chair, a certain fukutaicho had broken it the night before when he sat down too heavily. Yasuhiro smirked when he thought of Omaeda's face. On the bright side Omaeda had finally managed to get people to laugh. 'Maybe now he'll stop telling all those stupid jokes…I lose money every time he opens his mouth.'

Making a note to order a replacement, Yasuhiro walked along the front of the bar, idly spinning the scarlet heads of the stools as he passed them. As he walked behind the bar, the bell on the door rang and Yamada Hanataro came inside.

Yasuhiro rarely saw Hanataro. Like most members of the fourth, he preferred to not spend his free time drinking in case he was called in for a sudden emergency. The last time he saw the young Shinigami was when Isane had dragged him along after a particularly trying afternoon (From what she managed to slur her way through, it involved examining the bodies of several Shinigami that had been slain by another Zanpakuto).

"Good evening Nisshoku-san, could I please have something strong to drink?"

Yasuhiro hid his surprise at the request and pulled out a bottle of vodka. Most of his customers couldn't stand the stuff, but something told him he might need a lot of it tonight. The bartender pulled out a shot glass. He half expected the unseated Shinigami to turn pale and request something else, but Hanataro took his seat and downed a shot without hesitation.

Something was wrong.

There had been many customers in the bar, and the bartender had seen every type of drunk there is. He had seen happy drunks, like Shunsui, who turned every night into a party. He had seen sad drunks, like Aizen, who tended to moan and complain about their various problems (Yasuhiro had to tune these guys out for the most part, he couldn't afford to let them depress him). He had seen joking drunks, dramatic drunks, perverted drunks, and nostalgic drunks. Hanataro rarely drank, and when he did he rarely went beyond being buzzed. Hanataro was Yasuhiro's least favorite type of drunk.

"… and then I was the one who had to clean the ramen out of the hot springs!"

Hanataro was an angry drunk. Yasuhiro knew how to handle angry drunks on most days. They all had very specific topics which would send them on a rampage. For Hanataro it was somebody insulting or objectifying his captain. But today, something was off. Most angry drunks are relatively normal until their button is pushed. Today, Hanataro was angry the moment he took his first shot. It had been four shots twenty minutes and two very detailed rants since then, and Yasuhiro was quickly losing patience with these childlike complaints.

The bartender took a deep breath and carefully thought out his next sentence. He needed to make sure that Hanataro did not end up breaking anything because he misunderstood a vague comment. "Is … Did … Are …Fuck it."

Yasuhiro slapped the unseated shinigami across the face, knocking him off of the stool and out of his chair. Hanataro stood up and looked about ready to charge the bartender but Yasuhiro didn't give him the chance. "Geki." A red glow formed around Hanataro and prevented him from moving. Yasuhiro looked the boy in the eye and released his reiatsu just enough to make the air around him uncomfortably dense. "Now Hanataro-san, I don't know you very well and I must admit that I'm not particularly interested in your daily tasks. However, you have walked into _my_ bar with something very serious on you mind and I fell it is my job as your bartender and a friend of your captain to remedy this situation. In ten seconds I am going to release the bakudo and you and I are going to have a nice civilized conversation about why you seem ready to wage war on the soutaicho himself."

The red glow around Hanataro faded and he glared at the bartender. He raised himself to his full height and walked slowly and dramatically back to his seat. Yasuhiro swore he saw flames dancing behind the boy and had to stop himself from grabbing the fire extinguisher beneath the bar. The young shinigami took his seat and quickly downed another shot.

"Now, tell me why the fuck I feel like you need to be reported before I decide to do it anyway."

"I was assigned to clean the sixth division today."

"Okay, I understand that Byakuya can be annoying but that's no reason be too upset. He's that pointlessly cold to everyone who doesn't use as much hair product as he does. Hell that's probably the only reason Renji was made fukutaicho."

"That's not why I'm mad. I was cleaning the cells and found out that senpai is being held there."

"Who?"

"Rukia-senpai you dolt!"

"Okay, okay I get it. Wait, they captured Rukia already?"

"What do you mean already!? Why the fuck is she being held at all!?"

"Well I'm not sure of the details, but I know that Byakuya and Renji were sent to bring her back when she went out of contact for a while."

"Well it doesn't matter why she's being held, I'm gonna find a way to get her out of there if it's the last thing I do."

"Slow down Hanataro. I know that you think you'd be helping Rukia-san but you wouldn't get anything done and would end up in jail yourself."

"I don't care! I don't care if I'll fail! I don't care if I can't fight! I need to try and rescue her!"

"_Hanataro, _calm down, _Now_. I want you to think carefully. Do you need to try and rescue her, or do you want to see her rescued? Because if you try and fail; it makes her rescue that much less likely to happen. If you want to see her out of that cell, I suggest you wait a few days. Rukia has a lot of friends, and I know Ukitake has no interest in her remaining in a cell. If she isn't released in a few days, then you come up with a plan to get her out of there. Ask around, figure out who wants her released and who wants her to stay in there. Find out who is most likely to be paying attention and who doesn't give a damn. Look for guards who are lazy and times when an alert is less likely to be issued immediately. Make sure that you're ready to fight whoever you need to in order to get her to safety."

"I told you I can't fight. My zanpakto is useless unless someone is already hurt. The only way I'd survive a hollow attack is if it let me go out of pity or if it was laughing too hard."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Hanataro. Zanpakto take many shapes and can be used in many different ways, but if there is one thing I know for a fact it is that _every_ zanpakto is meant for battle. If yours doesn't seem to be then it's not the sword's problem, it's yours. You need to think about what your swords power is and find out what makes it special. If it is too short, figure out why it needs to be short. If it is unconventional, think unconventionally. If it doesn't seem to suit you, figure out why your soul doesn't want you to act that way. A zanpakto is a part of us, but it is at its heart a weapon. It is made for the soul purpose of fighting hollows, and it craves for battle. A weapon should not be forced to sit on the wall. But, most importantly, a weapon must be respected. Your job as its wielder is to understand its needs and desires and to take care of them without hesitation. In exchange it will protect you. Remember that Hanataro, your blade _wants_ to protect you, it _wants_ to fight for you, because without you it has no wielder and no purpose."

Hanataro's anger slowly shifted through surprise and into awe at the bartender's speech. He looked at the counter and thought about his sword, and how often he forgot to bring it with him. A pain shot through his heart as he realized how much he neglected Hisagomaru. Yasuhiro watched as Hanataro's jaw clenched and his eyes hardened. The bartender smiled as Hanataro once again drew himself to his full height and looked him in the eye.

"Thank you Nisshoku-san. I have some work to do."

As Hanataro turned to leave the room, the bartender called out to him. "Remember Hanataro-san, wait a few days, I have a feeling that you'll get your chance to help Rukia."

Hanataro nodded without looking back and exited the bar. Yasuhiro smiled and cleared off the space in front of the now empty stool. He looked at the door and paused for a moment before flipping the sign backed to closed. If the information he got from Kisuke earlier was correct then Isshin's son was going to need all the help he could get. The bartender returned to the back room and looked and the wall where his own zanpakto lay resting. He ran his hand over the long silver scabbard and through the purple tassels hanging off the hilt. The crossguard was in the shape of an equilateral triangle. As he looked at the blade he recalled his speech to Hanataro and sighed.

'I can't not yet. I can't risk it happening again. Not after Hotaru.'


	6. Chapter 5: Yoruichi

**KaC: I'd like to apologize about how long it took to post this chapter. I'm back at school and don't have as much time to write as before. Luckily I'm getting used to my schedule and should be able to get back into it. I will hopefully have the next chapter posted within a week.**

**On another note, you may have noticed that I don't have an image for this story. This is mostly because I lack any form of real artistic skill. If anyone would want to create a cover for this story, please PM me. You probably don't want to see what would happen if I tried to make it myself.**

Chapter 5: Yoruichi

Yasuhiro took a long drag from his water bottle and admired his work. "Ha Ha! Let's see that coffee shop compete with me now that I've got my new Karaoke machine up and running. No frozen mocha can compete with the desire to see your friends make total asses of themselves in front of a crowded audience!"

The bartender happily nodded before turning to the front of the bar and sighing as he saw his dirty windows. With a saddened expression he retrieved his supplies from behind the bar and began cleaning the windows. 'Wax-on wax-off my ass. The only way cleaning could make you stronger is if you had a freaking mop for a Zanpakuto… which I now totally want to see because we don't have enough janitors that can destroy a city anymore. The closest thing we got nowadays is that gardener guy with the HOLY SCHNAPPS MY EYES!'

Apparently Seireitei had just gotten a new sun… or somebody was trying to break through the barrier in the least subtle way possible. 'Yep, definitely a new sun. Now where did I put those sunglasses.'

Yasuhiro rifled through the shelves beneath the bar. After several minutes of searching he came up with a pair of amber sunglasses and stared into the eyes of a black cat. "…And now ninja cats are attacking. I must've inhaled too much lead paint earlier."

The cat glared at him. "Stop being an idiot and get me a drink."

"Are you not a ninja cat?"

"…"

"Apology accepted. Now let's get you a nice bowl of milk and you can tell me why you found it necessary to use Kukaku's cannon when there are three gates I could have had opened for you without a single shinigami knowing about it?"

"…Just get me something strong."

"Fine, but I'm giving your boyfriend a piece of my mind when this is over."

The bartender fiddled with something behind the bar before producing a tall glass of something clear and colorless. "So who's all hear and what's the plan?"

"Ichigo."

"Isshin's kid? Let me guess, he's the reason Rukia's stuck right now."

"You hear about her giving him her powers?"

"No, but the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And it's always Isshin's fault."

"…Right. Next is Ishida Uryu."

"Ryu-chan has a kid? How in the name of the four wiseman did that guy manage to mate?"

"He took your advice."

"Come on! No way he drank enough to remove that stick form his ass! I've force-fed him entire handles before!"

"I think Isshin spiked his drinks with meds. "

Yasuhiro beamed. "I knew I taught that kid well! Who's next?"

"Two humans with powers I've never seen before."

"Two? Only one of them felt human."

"Their names are Inoue Orihime and Sado Yasutora. They both feel human to me."

Yasuhiro grew quiet and turned away. He paced behind the bar while looking at the ground. "That…could be troubling, but we'll come back to it later. What's the plan."

"Stick together and sneak through Seireitei without being seen."

"So…you be out camping with non-alcoholic beer?"

"What is it with you and non-alcoholic beer?"

"It's piss. What's plan b?"

"Smash our way through seireitei and pray that we don't run into a captain."

"That seems like the kind of plan Isshin's kid would like."

"Unfortunately. Do we have any hope of help?"

Yasuhiro smiled.

* * *

"Che…tough luck." Ikkaku fell the ground, unmoving.

"…That's my line." Ichigo looked at his right arm, the wrapping from Zangetsu barely stemming the blood from the wound. He walked over to Ikkaku's prone form and picked up his zanpakuto. He popped open the top of the hilt where Ikkaku had hidden his salve.

"I wouldn't bother with that crap."

Ichigo picked up Zangetsu and spun on his heel, settling into a defensive stance. "Who the hell are you?"

A short boy with shoulder-length black hair sat on top of the wall. His zanpakuto hung over his shoulder. "My name is Yamada Hanataro, and if you're here for the reason I think you are then I am your best chance of getting out of this place alive."

* * *

In the 6th division barracks, Kuchiki Byakuya had called his fukutaicho for a meeting. Renji nervously walked into the room and took his place in front of his captain's desk.

"Renji, there is nothing I can do to help Rukia."

"I know that. You don't have to tell me again."

"However, I do not believe that everyone agrees with the decision to execute my sister. In fact, I believe that her friends from the human world are already attempting to help her. It is likely that they are the ryokas. It is my duty to stop them."

"I understand sir. I will do everything in my power to help in their capture."

"I am afraid you are mistaken Fukutaicho Abarai. I wish for the ryoka to succeed. I cannot go against the rules of Seireitei, but I have no desire to watch my sister killed."

"S-sir?! What are you asking me to do?"

"I am asking you to do what I can't. I want you to help my sister."

Renji's eyes hardened and his jaw set. He spent several seconds examining his clenched hands before looking into his taicho's eyes. "I will do what I can taicho."

"Fukutaicho Abarai, there is one thing you must understand before you agree. It is my duty as a captain to stop these ryoka no matter what. Anyone who wants to help Rukia will have to be able to defeat me. No one among currently is currently capable of doing so. If you wish to see Rukia freed then you need to discover who has the best chance of doing so. Before you openly act in her favor, I want you to go and fight Kurosaki Ichigo. You both need to get stronger, but neither of you can do that right now. You need to discover your limitations. You need to see exactly how far you can push yourselves."

"And you think that Kurosaki will do that for me?"

"No. I think that you will do that for him."

* * *

"Is he dead?"

Ishida stood over the body of a large shinigami. "No. I hit the two points of spiritual pressure that allow him to channel his power. He won't die, but he will never be a shinigami again."

The two ryoka walked away from the scene of the battle. Ishida glanced at Orihime and saw her rubbing her hair pin, as if she were comforting a small animal. "Inoue-san, I think it would be better if we were to avoid conflict if at all possible from this point onward. We should attempt to procure disguises."

Orihime cheered up instantly at the suggestion. "Okay. Where do you think we can find some of their clothes?"

"All of these buildings look the same. We will have to check them all."

"Why would you need to do that glasses-san?"

Ishida had his bow out before she had finished talking. He drew back the string and pointed it at the top of the wall on their left. He had almost released the arrow when he saw what he was aiming at. A little girl with pink hair stared down at him happily. Despite his surprise he managed to keep his voice steady. "Who are you?"

"Murosaki-kun said not to tell you that or I wouldn't get more candy. He also said to give you this and I'd get lots of it!" She floated a paper airplane toward the two humans, and Orihime snatched it out of the air.

"A map? Why would you give us something like this."

"Inoue-san. She's already gone."

"What? Is she really that fast? Or do you think aliens abducted her? Or maybe she's secretly a ninja spy sent here by Urahara to aid us in our quest in exchange for information so that her ninja leaders can plan an attack on Karakura!"

A large bead of sweat formed on the back of Ishida's head. "Actually she just jumped behind the wall. And who ever heard of a ninja with pink hair? Let me see that map. I don't think we should trust her."

"If Urahara trusts her enough to give her information about Karakura than I think we can trust this map."

"But…"

* * *

"Okay, you've been smiling like that for about three minutes now and it's starting to creep me out."

"Huh? Oh, right. Just thinking about a good idea for a new book. It involves aliens and ninjas working together to rule the world."

"I'm…not gonna touch that one." Yoruichi jumped off of the counter and gracefully landed on the floor. "I should get going. Keep your ears open. We may need more help than a bartender can provide."

As she walked out the door, Yasuhiro smiled softly. "Don't be silly Yoruichi. There isn't anything a bartender can't provide."

The bartender checked the clock on the wall and sighed. He wasn't going to get any customers tonight. "Just you wait Soulbucks, my karaoke machine will put you out of business once all of this is over."


	7. Chapter 6: Sado Yasutora

**KaC: I am an ass. I wanted to have the next chapter within a week and it has almost been 3 months. I would like to say that it's school's fault but that is only partly true. The other part is me being too unmotivated to write when I have the time. And with exams coming up soon it doesn't look like I will be able to write much after this chapter either. However, all of the games I wanted to play have come out and been beaten (or nearly so in the case of AC3 whose patch I hope is released soon), and I am confident enough in most of my classes to not have to worry too much about exams. So, in the hopes that I am not being a liar I am going to try and put myself on a schedule to write. I won't say the exact rate of writing at the moment because I do not want to get your, or my (more likely my), hopes up. Please Enjoy.**

**Disclamer: This is a work of fanfiction, yadda yadda yadda.  
**

* * *

Chapter 6: Sado Yasutora (Chad)

"You sent them in here without a plan."

"No I did not. I sent them in there with a very vague plan."

"You sent them after step 10 without giving them steps 2-9."

"A _very_ vague plan."

"You are worse than Box Wine."

Urahara lifted his fan to hide his face from the angry bartender. "Stop you're making me blush."

"Keep talking and I'm stealing your hat. Then I am going to shove it so deep into my flask that you'll never see it again.

"You'd have to get it off my head first."

"No _Yoruichi_ has to get it off your head first."

Kisuke's face blanched in fear before Yasuhiro flipped off the screen. He carefully hid the device behind a few plants before leaving his greenhouse and returning to the first level of his bar. As he reached for his stack of glasses to dry he felt only air.

'Did I really finish those already?'

The bartender turned to grab his broom but couldn't find a spec of dirt to sweep off his floor.

'I cleaned my bar five times in the last two hours, I set up the karaoke machine that I know I'm going to take down the first time I hear Shunsui try to sing, I have taken inventory, and I am not going to get any customers … I need a hobby.'

The bartender sighed and sat at his bar. He hadn't let himself take a break from running the bar in a hundred years, and for the first time he had nothing to do.

"Convenient Distraction Powers Activate! Form of a Rampaging Rhino!"

**CRASH!**

"And I can now summon rhinos to break down Seireitei's Walls. That's gonna be fun to explain to the old man."

Yasuhiro forced himself to peak out his front door and see the damage his rhino summon had caused.

"So apparently I can summon giant Mexicans instead. You must be-"

The bartender's train of thought was immediately interrupted by Chad's fist. The armored hand sent Yasuhiro flying through his bar and into his new karaoke machine.

"Ow." The bartender crawled out of the broken machine and tried to stand up, before ducking back to the floor to avoid another right hook from the giant high schooler. "Could we stop with the punching for a second?! I'm trying to tell you I'm on your side!"

"I don't believe you" Chad pulled back his fist to aim at the bartender once more.

"Your name is Sado Yasutora! You came here under Yoruichi's guidance to try and rescue Kuchiki Rukia. Your companions are Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uryuu and Orihime Inoue!"

Chad's fist stopped short. "Go on."

"You were sent here by Urahara Kisuke from his shop in Kurakura town. You used Shiba Kukaku's cannon in order to break through the barrier. Do you have enough yet?" Chad nodded. "Then sit down and let me get you something to drink. No, it won't be alcoholic."

The bartender walked behind his bar and stood at his normal post. He gestured for Chad to sit down and pulled out a juice box. "It's not much but I don't keep many non-alcoholic drinks here, and I get the feeling that you would regret drinking soda pretty damn quick after you got outta here."

"It's fine," the pithy giant replied. He carefully poked the straw through the hole in the box and sipped the juice. "How do you know about us?"

"I'm a bartender. It's my job to know everything, and you're big news."

"You're lying."

"Yes I am. But you don't need to know the truth for right now." Chad nodded. "You can rest here as long as you need to. No one is going to bother you while you're in this bar."

"I can't stay long."

"I'm not asking you too. I _am_ telling you that you are going to want to relax while you can. Outside of this bar there are thousands of shinigamis who would like nothing more than to cut that fancy arm of yours in two. Most of them wouldn't be a threat, but enough of them are that you can't afford to charge headfirst into everything."

"Thank you for the hospitality."

"…You are creepily polite for a teenager. But, since you're gonna be here for a little bit, tell me why you agreed to come to this place to help Rukia."

"Ichigo cannot do it alone. I am here to make sure he succeeds. Rukia is my friend as well and I don't like it when my friends get hurt."

"That's it? You aren't driven by anything but a desire to help your friends? Impressive. That type of drive doesn't come very often, but I wonder if it is enough."

"What more do I need?"

"You lack an important trait of any warrior. And you are definitely a warrior so don't argue that point with me. The drive to protect gives a warrior an important strength. The strength to defend, to make sure your opponent cannot harm anyone. But sometimes, a warrior needs something more. A warrior must not see preventing his opponent from causing damage as his goal, because prevention is only temporary. A warrior needs to be decisive in his victory. That is what you lack; you do not have the desire to harm your opponent. The victories you have achieved with that arm can only be temporary victories as you are now. You can beat back your opponents, but you cannot stop them from attacking again. You need to _want_ to hurt your opponents."

"I promised my abuelo I would only fight to protect others."

Yasuhiro sighed. 'Why do I always get the martyrs?' "I am not telling you to seek out people just to harm them. Going into battle should always be the last resort, and that promise is a good way of making sure you keep that in mind. What I am trying to say is that you cannot always play defense. If you want your side to win, you have to score a few points yourself. The real challenge is to stop before you start sowing salt into their fields. You have that restraint, I can see it in your eyes. The only problem is you stop yourself too quickly, you consider a fight done when the score is still tied at 0. Sooner or later, you are going to have to fight someone that won't give up after a draw, and if you don't learn to attack, you will lose, and your opponent will plow through anyone standing behind you."

Chad remained silent as he drank his juice. Yasuhiro let him think things through. If the Mexican did not change his ways he was never going to make it out of Seireitei, and Yasuhiro was not going to let that happen. Chad stood up and walked to the door.

"Thank you for the advice… I will take that into consideration."

"For now, that's all I ask. Just make sure to stay alive. And if anyone asks, you were never here. It isn't time for me to get involved just yet."

The Mexican nodded as he left the bar.

Yasuhiro smiled at the retreating giant before looking at his ruined karaoke machine. "Looks like I have more work to do after all."

* * *

**AN: No Chad will not get his** **Brazo Izquierda del Diablo yet. He might, however, achieve a lesser form of it. **


	8. Chapter 7: Ikkaku and Yumichikia: Plot D

**AN: Sorry for the delay, this is probably the hardest chapter I've had to write. The problem is that two chapters from now I know exactly what needs to be done, but until then I keep drawing a blank on who I need to advance the plot, so as soon as I can force myself to get those chapters out I'll be able to update regularly for a while. **

**On another note, this chapter contains the first battle scene I've ever written, so please tell me how I did.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach yet. I plan on buying the rights in 20 years.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Ikkaku and Yumichika: Plot Devices!

Camellias and Lavender. The scents drifted around Yasuhiro as he meditated in his garden. Most of the greenhouse contained every ingredient a growing cask needs, but this small secluded corner of the field was for him. It was his sanctuary. It was her memorial.

Yasuhiro did not meditate very often anymore. What had once been a daily exercise to strengthen his bond with his zanpakuto had quickly turned into a last resort for when he needed to clear his head. The Rukia Rescue Squad had only been in Seireitei proper for a day but their presence had completely changed the atmosphere. The shinigami no longer felt safe.

'They have three days. Three days before the execution. I hope they make it in time. There's too much at stake for them to fail.'

'_But what if they do? Are you willing to sacrifice your life for this? Can you to fight for her? Can you stand up against your friends, your comrades, your classmates, your teacher?_'

'If they fail I am reader. I will give up everything for this. I won't let her die. If I must fight, then I will take down everyone in my way. I will make sure that he fails no matter what.'

'_Are you being confident or cocky? Do you fight for justice or vengeance? Will you rise into the sky or fall into the pit?_'

'Sure or cocksure. Lawful or lawless. Grace or disgrace. I will stand my ground even if I must watch the world fall around me.'

'_But is that enough?_'

'It has to be.'

The bartender opened his eyes and arose. He turned his back from the entrance of the garden and bowed before a single blue flower, a forget-me-not. He allowed himself a small moment of sorrow before he walked from his sanctuary.

A loud clatter called him downstairs. Someone was shouting outside his door. He could not understand the speaker but he knew the voice.

'Little Pig, Little Pig, let me in.'

The thought made him chuckle as he meandered his way to the bar. He made sure that his suit was clean before entering the main area. No point in disturbing one of his better customers after all. He opened the door.

"I do hope you two aren't here to drink already. Even Margaritaville wouldn't open its doors this early.'

Ikkaku glared at the bartender. "This is not a time to be joking Nisshoku. Aizen-taichou is dead."

The glass in Yasuhiro's hand shattered. He hadn't even been holding a glass. He stared blankly at his bleeding hand.

Yumichika quickly dragged his hand away from his body. "I will not allow you to bedraggle that wondrous example of apparel with your sanguine excretions."

The bartender yanked his hand away from the fifth seat and glared at the two shinigami. "Who killed him?"

"A couple of people said it was the ryoka, but I don't think that's possible. I fought the strongest of them and last I heard he barely beat Renji. Taking down a captain is beyond them."

"I must concur. No beings of such grotesque countenance could possibly slay a dazzling example of artistry such as Aizen-taichou."

Luckily they were right. The only one in Seireitei right now stood a chance against Aizen was the sou-taichou. That still left the question as to who managed to pull it off. Gin might have been able to do it if he managed to surprise Aizen from far enough away, and Tosen couldn't be affected by Aizen's shikai but he was too ridiculously into justice to even think about killing another captain.

"So basically there's a captain killer out there and we have no way of knowing who it is."

"Yes." "Undoubtedly."

"…So who wants a drink?"

Just then a massive pressure seemed to settle on the bar. The three occupants gulped and turned their heads to the west.

"Kenpachi."

"I think that blonde kids gonna get killed real quick."

"Most likely his pseudo-simian assistant will face decapitation in a similar timeframe."

"Hey Pinky can you send me a recording of this?"

Ikkaku and Yumichika turned to Yasuhiro is surprise before walking to the cabinets on the far wall of the bar and pulling out a projector.

* * *

Ichigo was losing ground fast. He couldn't even scratch the captain when he had been given a free shot and now the berserker was chasing him through Seireitei like a cat stalking a mouse. Then again, mice at least had a chance of fighting back. He had left his companions behind when they ran into Kenpachi. Hanataro and Ganju had been useful along the way but none of them stood a chance against this monster.

The substitute shinigami ducked into an alcove and paused to catch his breath. He had no way of knowing how close Kenpachi was but he needed to catch his breath while he had the chance. He had just willed himself to start moving again when he heard a voice just behind him.

"Disappointing. Here you are with more reiki than shinigami twice your age and you can't even put up a fight. Maybe they were wrong about you. Maybe you are weak."

Ichigo wanted to yell, wanted to prove him wrong. He couldn't. He couldn't even find the strength to run away, let alone to fight. Kenpachi approached and Ichigo ran.

* * *

"Blondie looks out of it."

"Kenpachi-taichou will most likely conclude this farce of a contest within a matter of moments."

Yasuhiro wasn't so sure. The kid sure looked like he was going to fall over any second, but this was Isshin's son and nobody could pull a victory out of their ass like that man.

"Take another look you two. The punk looks like he's gonna try something."

* * *

Ichigo was tired of running; he was tired of being hunted. He wanted to fight.

The blonde teenager turned on his heel and slashed at the mountainous captain. A small wound appeared on the berserker's chest and Ichigo smirked. He could damage the man after all.

Kenpachi smiled and brought down his sword. Ichigo dodged out of the way, rolling to his left and around the back of the captain. He brought Zangetsu up from the ground, slashing at Kenpachi's back but the captain's unnamed sword blocked it before he could hit. Ichigo jumped back away from the captain and frowned.

'He's stronger than me but not faster. I have to find a weak point. If I come from the right he should have trouble seeing it.'

Ichigo circled to the berserker's right and attempted to slash at his opponent one again. Kenpachi moved to intercept but was just a moment too slow to stop Ichigo's sword from slicing his arm open.

"Looks like this will be an interesting fight after all. At this rate I may even have to take off my patch."

'Take it off? You mean that he wears that thing by choice?' "That eye patch, those bells, you just use those to make fighting more interesting don't you? Just like why you're not releasing your zanpakuto."

"Half right kid. I do wear these things to make fighting fun, but this sword is the only form my zanpakuto has. My sword does not need a name. It is already in the only form I need it to have."

"Good to know. That means you won't get any stronger than this."

"Is that so?"

Kenpachi charged forward and slashed at Ichigo. Ichigo quickly moved his own sword into the path of Zaraki's. The swords met. Ichigo grimaced at the pressure and fought to hold onto his blade. Kenpachi smirked and pushed harder, forcing Ichigo back into a wall.

"You see Kurosaki, I may not be able to release my sword, but that is not because it is weak. It is because I am too strong for it to contain my power. Instead, I just hold back my strength on my own."

Kenpachi rushed forward to stab the substitute through the chest. Ichigo forced himself to raise his sword and block with the flat of Zangetsu. The nameless Zanpakuto went straight through the blonde's shikai and into his chest.

* * *

"The kid did better than I expected. Most people can't make him swing that hard."

"Indeed, the contest proved to be a rather beautiful display of courage against all odds."

Yasuhiro did not speak. He saw the kid go down but he still wasn't sure if the fight was over. He had seen shinigami come back from worse wounds before and it was Isshin's kid fighting down there.

* * *

'It can't be over yet I have to keep going! I have to save Rukia!'

Kenpachi stared at his fallen opponent and scoffed. "What a boring end. You may have been fast but even you barely scratched me. And it seems like one of your friends is about to get the same treatment."

'One of my friends? Who-Chad! I-I can't sense him anymore. His soul's been shining brighter than anyone's for so long that I barely even noticed it fading. If Chad's dying then-NO! Chad will not die here and neither will I we are going to survive this! All of us! We are bringing Rukia home!'

Ichigo forced his eyes open and watched Zaraki walk away from him. He willed himself to stand to move to do anything. His eyes fell off Zaraki and landed upon a familiar face. Zangetsu strode toward Ichigo. His black cloaked billowed behind him in an invisible wind. The spirit's shaded eyes drifted over the shinigami's broken sword before they met Ichigo's brown orbs.

"_What is it your desire, Ichigo? Why do you continue to struggle even now?_"

'I want to save my friends. I want to wipe that smug look off Kenpachi's face. I want to win!'

"_Is that really what you desire? Show me your resolve! Show me that you deserve to fight on!_"

"I WANT TO WIN"

"_Good! Then I will show you how!_"

* * *

Yasuhiro smiled at Ichigo. The kid might be a reckless punk, but he definitely had the balls to pull it off. He watched as Ichigo forced himself to his feet. The blonde shinigami clutched the remains of his sword in both hands and the zanpakuto began to heal.

* * *

Ichigo's wounds started to close rapidly. His eyes, just moments ago lost in despair, regained the confidence and power that he had lost when Kenpachi struck him.

Kenpachi turned around and smiled.

Ichigo charged the captain and sliced through from his left shoulder down to his right hip. Kenpachi stumbled back but Ichigo did not stop attacking. He brought Zangetsu back up into another strike when Kenpachi barely placed his blade in the way of Ichigo's.

"Hahahahahaha! Not bad little ryoka. You've got some fight left in you after all! Just for that, I'm going to show you something only a few people have forced me to do."

Kenpachi reached up and removed his eye patch, revealing a perfectly healthy eye. Ichigo stared in shock before the pressure hit him.

'H-his power nearly doubled!' "What kind of strength do you have stored up in that right eye of yours!?"

"Stored up? I'm afraid you're mistaken." Kenpachi held up his eye patch to show Ichigo a series of mouths placed on its back. "I had this specially made for me. It eats away my reiki so that I can enjoy my fights for even longer!"

Ichigo glared at the captain and readied Zangetsu. "You might be stronger now but you're still using your Zanpakuto like a tool! Me and Zangetsu will take you on any day!"

"Is that so? Well then let's see who is really stronger. Me, or you and your precious sword!"

Reiki exploded form the combatants in a torrent of light. Ichigo's blue reiatsu formed around him like a shield, taking the form of a laughing mask. Kenpachi's yellow energy swirled into a skull with razor teeth ready to charge at Ichigo.

The two combatants ran forward, neither trying to defend against the other's attack. Ichigo's zanpakuto came down. Kenpachi's nameless sword struck forward.

Ichigo felt Kenpachi pierce his chest, even as Zangetsu bit into the berserker's right shoulder.

Ichigo coughed up blood. Crimson exploded from Kenpachi's wound.

Ichigo fell to the ground. "I guess I wasn't strong enough after all."

Kenpachi held up his shattered sword and collapsed onto his back. "You idiot. You won."

* * *

Yasuhiro shut off the projector. Yachiru had abandoned the recorder on the roof when she went to grab Kenpachi. He looked over at the two 11th division members and smirked.

"Looks like you both owe me a couple grand."


	9. Chapter 8: Kyoraku Shunsui

**A/N: I'd like to thank my loyal readers for their patience in waiting for this chapter. I know that my updates are random at best and I'd like to think those who keep reading my story find it to be worth the wait. **

**On another note, I have posted a new story. It is a Pokemon story called Red of the Six. I should warn you that it is going to be significantly darker than this but check it out if you're interested.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do however own bleach, because nothing erases DNA evidence as it does!**

**NOTE: Not a new chapter, I noticed a particuarly annoying error and fixed it. The new chapter should be up within the next couple weeks**

* * *

Chapter 8: Kyoraku Shunsui

"I need a place to train."

Yasuhiro raised an eyebrow at the wounded redhead. "What makes you think that I can help you with that?"

"Kurosaki was saved from Byakuya by Shihoin Yoruichi. She took him somewhere to train and you know more about her and her… _allies_ than anyone else I know. If there's a place she can take him where the other shinigami can't find her then you are the one to ask about it."

"Why do you need to train?"

"I want Rukia to be safe. If the ryoka can't rescue her than I have to."

"Go to Sokyoku hill. On the east side there's a rock that is just a little too red. Twenty paces down the hill you will find a trap door. That will take you where you need to go."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet Renji-san."

The redhead nodded and walked out of the bar.

Captain Kyoraku Shunshui watched as Lieutenant Abarai left the bar. He was not surprised that the red headed shinigami had come here after escaping the hospital. Only a few shinigami would consider hiding there, but Shunsui knew Yasuhiro better than most. He knew that the bar was open to everyone at any time. He doubted Yasuhiro would even refuse a ryoka if one walked in his door.

The captain prepared himself to go after the lieutenant when a shoe hit him in the face.

"Hey Sakura-kun! Leave the kid alone and you get a bartender's dozen free drinks!"

Shunsui paused. Renji was injured and there were dozens of shinigami looking for him, but Yasuhiro didn't give out free drinks lightly. It was a moral conundrum for the alcoholic captain.

Shunsui gladly gulped down his third drink and belched loudly. "Thank the Soul King! I haven't had a drink in two days!"

* * *

"That must be a record for you, flower-boy. I don't think I've seen you go that long without a drink in 200 years."

"216, actually. But this just means I need to try and break my new record."

The captain laughed at his joke and sipped at his fourth drink. Yasuhiro sighed at the slowing pace and prepared himself for the conversation to come.

"Why did you want me to let the boy go?"

"Because Seireitei is decaying."

"What?" Shunsui couldn't believe his ears. Yasuhiro had helped build Seireitei into a paradise. How could somebody so invested in this place believe it's decaying?

"You heard what I said. Ever since our time, the new shinigami have been getting weaker and weaker. There are a few exceptions of course; the captains have remained at about the same level and there are a few newbies who outshine the others, but the average strength and skill of the shinigami has dropped drastically."

The captain sighed, "Maybe you're right, Storehouse, but what does that have to do with Renji?"

"He has potential, and he has a cause to fight for. Put him with the blonde ryoka and nothing's gonna stop them."

"I suppose…wait, what? Are you saying that Renji is going to fight with the ryoka?"

Yasuhiro chuckled. "Not exactly."

* * *

Ichigo stood in a field of black swords, facing his opponent. The man cloaked in shadows remained grim as he faced his wielder. But Ichigo had agreed to this test, and nothing short of passing it would allow him access to the power he needed to take on a captain.

Yoruichi watched the blonde ryoka in interest. 'He's actually beginning to hold his own. Even without gaining his bankai yet, his power has nearly doubled. Wait…what's that sound?'

"DUCK!"

Ichigo dove out of the was as a section of the roof came crashing down where he had been standing. Ichigo glared at the rock and looked for the source of the disturbance.

"Well, well, well, I'd heard that you were training, but trying for bankai already? You must be nuts Ichigo."

"Renji," Ichigo growled. "What the hell are you doing here? I don't have time to kick your ass right now."

"Don't worry Kurosaki, right now I want the same thing as you. I want to get my bankai and rescue Rukia."

* * *

"I suppose you could say it's more like they want the same thing. And if working together is the only way to save Rukia's life then they will do it."

"Save Rukia? Is that what the ryoka are doing here? After Aizen was killed I figured that somebody tricked them into being a distraction."

"I don't think these kids are smart enough to be a distraction Shunsui. They came here without a plan and got separated before their feet touched the ground. If they did that on purpose then I'd be afraid for whom they're working for."

* * *

Urahara sneezed and dropped the box he was carrying onto Jinta's head.

"Ow! What the fuck old man!"

"Sorry. Some pretty lady must be talking about me!" Urahara slid his fan open and held it to cover his "_blushing_" cheeks.

* * *

"Besides, I talked to one of them, and personally I think they're doing the right thing."

"Well I can't deny that a woman as beautiful as Rukia should be allowed to live. In fact, I was rather curious about the Central 46's decision. They might be cruel bastards, but even they should understand the circumstances she was in."

"Exactly. In fact, I bet Jushiro feels the same way."

"He does. And, knowing him, he'll do everything he can to stop it."

"And I assume you're going to help him."

The captain took a long drink from his fifth drink and stared at the polished bar. Yasuhiro stopped himself from sighing at his old friend's actions. Out of their entire class, Shunsui was by far the most loyal. Before Yamamoto had found him he'd been living on the streets for five years, fighting for every scrap of food. The sou-taichou had earned his respect and the thought of going against him weighed heavily on the eccentric captain's soul.

For once, Shunsui allowed the ever-present mirth to slide off of his face and revealed the hardened warrior beneath. "I'm not sure. I may not like Central's decision, but their word is supposed to be law."

"Rules are important. You know that better than most. If you break the rules of your zanpakuto's games then it will turn on you. But remember that this isn't a game. There is no board to keep the world contained, no arbitrary ideas that wrap the players in a comfortable cocoon of right and wrong. The rules that are set are designed to cover too much, to ignore too much, for us to follow them blindly."

"I will not betray the man who saved me from that hell."

"Instead you will betray the man who saved you from yourself."

The now thoroughly inebriated captain fell quiet. Before he met Jushiro, Shunsui had been a monster. Gleefully fighting against his fellow students and delighting in his brutal tactics. Jushiro saw that Shunsui only respected the rules as written, and not the hidden rules, the rules that govern people's actions when they step into a world of grays. Jushiro fought for months to help save Shunsui from himself. In the end, he recruited Yasuhiro to get the rampaging student drunk. Soon enough, Shunsui was babbling his darkest secrets to the two men. They refrained from commenting and listened carefully. It took days for him to talk to them again, but they eventually managed to break down the walls he had built and teach him how to understand more than the rules as written.

"Shunsui. You are a good man. You understand pain better than anyone else I know. You once told me about the shopkeeper who refused to kicked you out of the store after you stopped a thief from stealing his food. Remember that pain. Rukia saved lives by giving that ryoka her powers. She took responsibility and trained him to take down the hollows she couldn't anymore. She went above and beyond what shinigami are expected to do. And now, they are going to kill her for it. They are going to kill one of the purest, most capable young shinigami in existence because she saved lives. Tell ne, does that sound fair to you? Does that sound like justice?"

"No. It sounds evil." Shunsui's answer was soft, but Yasuhiro heard the resolve building behind his words.

"Jushiro is going to stop the execution if he has to destroy the Sokyoku to do it. Honestly, I doubt he can do it alone, and I don't know the incantation to help him activate the shield. You do. Are you going to let him do this alone?"

"No. No I won't." The captain's voice had lost all uncertainty, and Yasuhiro smiled. This was the Shunsui he remembered. This was the man who stood by him and Jushiro against armies of hollows. The captain returned the bartender's smile and stood up to leave.

"I'll save the rest of my freebies for another day."

Shunsui turned and walked to the door, but before he opened it he spoke again. "Yasuhiro, I don't know what you're planning to do. But I know that it's going to be idiotic and amazing. You better not end up dying. I don't think Hotaro'd ever forgive you if you did."

Yasuhiro flinched at the name. He hadn't heard anyone say it aloud in almost six decades. But he nodded anyway. He knew that Shunsui was right, even if he didn't think he could keep that promise either way.


	10. Chapter 9: ?

**KAC: Welcome one and all to the next amazing chapter of A Bar in Seireitei. Where everything is made up and the points don't matter. That's right the points are just like the opinions of Twilight fans.**

**Disclaimer: ALL YOUR BLEACH ARE BELONG TO TITE KUBO**

* * *

Chapter 9: ?

"_Is the time coming?"_

The bartender opened his eyes to reveal a spartan room. The floor was bare concrete and the walls were unadorned. A glance at a window revealed empty space, bathed in eternal twilight. Not that he needed to look. Yasuhiro had been to this place many times.

"_Is the time coming?"_

Yasuhiro sighed and turned to the center of the room. There, lit by a single bare light bulb, sat a billiards table. The cushions lining the rail were beaten up and over used but still functional. The green wool cloth that covered the bed of the table was worn down and had several holes. The marking that had once identified the foot spot was long gone.

"Yes it is."

Finally the bartender looked into the eyes of the pool player. He had his long rusty brown hair in a ponytail, a sharp contrast to Yasuhiro's short golden blonde locks. He was taller than Yasuhiro, but the way he leaned on his cue made that hard to tell. His clothing was as unadorned as the room. A pair of denim jeans was tucked neatly into a pair of riding boots, and his plain white T-shirt was visible through the gap in his black leather jacket. Yasuhiro did not know the color of his eyes, because he always wore a pair of mirrored lenses, but if he had to guess he suspected they would a dull hazel. His face was plain and perfectly symmetrical, the kind of face nobody ever remembered. Yasuhiro's zanpakuto was never one for fancy dress.

"_Are we going to help?"_

"I am not sure if we should."

The spirit nodded in acceptance and calmly racked the balls. Every time he emptied a pocket he seemed to flinch in pain.

"_Do you know why I play?"_

"You want the pockets to be filled."

"_Then why do I always play again?"_

"Because there is always an empty pocket."

The spirit nodded again and placed the cue ball on the table. Yasuhiro was used to his zanpakuto playing while they spoke. The crack of the balls hitting each other would rebound off of the empty walls and fill the room several times over. It made him flinch every time.

"_Why do you think that is?"_

"Because something is missing."

"_And what is it that?"_

"Her."

"_Are you sure?"_

"That is the only thing that I have lost."

"_Is it?"_

Yasuhiro sighed at his spirit's response. There conversations always led to this same place. It happened a little faster this time but it hardly mattered. The bartender decided to change the subject before they were caught in another loop.

"You want me to help them."

"_Is that what you think?"_

"I know that is what you are trying to say."

"_What makes you think I am trying to say anything?"_

"Because if you didn't then I wouldn't be here."

"_Is that what you think I do?" _

"That is what you have always done!" Yasuhiro was growing angry. He had been practicing this routine with his spirit for the last 56 years. It had become tiring, to say the least. The spirit remained silent as he lined up another shot, carefully bouncing the cue ball off the wall and knocking a green-striped ball into the side pocket.

"_Is that what I am doing or what you want me to be doing?"_

"YES! Why else would you bring me down here!?"

"_Couldn't I just want to talk to my wielder? Couldn't I be wondering why we haven't slain a hollow in almost 60 years?"_

"You know why we haven't been out there. I stopped fighting when she did. There is only one hollow I want to kill and it hasn't shown its ugly mug since then."

"_Then why aren't you looking for it? Why are you hiding in this bar? When did you become so damn complacent?"_

"I can't just wander into Hueco Mundo and hope I get lucky. I wouldn't last a day."

"_Is that the only reason? Or are you just afraid?"_

"Of course I'm afraid! But that doesn't make my argument any less valid. I need to be ready before I can take on a challenge like that."

"_What have you been doing to get ready?" _

"WHY DO YOU ASK SO MANY QUESTIONS?" The spirit flinched and the solid red ball stopped too short of its pocket. The spirit clicked his teeth and twirled his cue. The pocketed balls levitated out of their slots and towards the center of the table.

"_Why do you always answer?"_

Yasuhiro stopped. He stared as the pool player racked his balls once again. The spirit chalked up his cue and broke the triangle. The bartender's eyes followed a solid purple ball into a pocket.

"_Why do you always answer?"_

"…Because there always is an answer. Because if I don't have an answer than all that is left is questions. A bartender who can't help you find the answer you're looking for isn't doing his job."

"_Is that so important? Doesn't the question deserve as much attention as the answer?"_**(A/N: 42!)**

"No. Questions don't tell you anything. They leave you empty and confused."

"_Is that so bad? What would she say?"_

"She would tell me that I talk too much." The spirit stopped playing and looked into Yasuhiro's eyes.

"_Why is there an empty pocket?" _A yellow ball flew into a pocket.

"Because there is something missing."

"_Why is there an empty pocket?" _Two balls this time, a blue one and a crimson stripe.

"Because there is something that I have lost."

"_What have you lost?" _And orange ball went in followed by the blue and purple stripes.

"Her."

"_Why is there an empty pocket?" _The yellow striped ball disappeared into a side pocket. The solid red and orange striped balls both slid into a corner pocket.

"Because that hollow is still out there."

"_Why is there an empty pocket?"_ Both green balls flew into opposite corners.

"Because there is still something I have to do."

"_Why is there an empty pocket?" _The striped red ball creeped into a side pocket.

"What do you want me to say?"

"_WHY IS THERE AN EMPTY POCKET?"_

"I DON'T KNOW!"

The spirit smiled and the crimson striped ball slipped into a pocket.

"I don't know why the pocket is empty! Maybe you just suck at pool! Did you consider that?! Maybe I am missing something! But you know what!? I am not going to find it in A. Fucking. Game. Of. POOL! I am going to find it out there! In the real world! Where there is a massive crisis going on that I don't know how to stop! And even worse, the only suspect I have is currently DEAD! So how about you stop with the dumb questions and help me find some gin forsaken answers!"

"_Are you ready to ask the questions?"_

The bartender paused. Had his zanpakuto just put him through therapy? "What the vodka just happened?"

"_Do you not feel it? Is there not something new running through your blood?"_

"Yeah I feel it. It's…different. Like I want to run until I can't move my legs."

"_Do you recognize it?"_

Yasuhiro let the feeling wash over him. "Drive. You've given me back my drive."

The spirit smiled once more and sunk the eight ball into a corner pocket. None of the pockets were empty.

For the first time in years Yasuhiro smiled back. The pool player twirled his cue and handed it tail first to the bartender.

* * *

Yasuhiro opened his eyes and rose from his spot in the garden. He walked calmly to the blue forget-me-not hidden in the corner. With a hesitant hand he reached for it and plucked it from its resting place. He smiled at the flower in his hand and smelled it one last time. "Sorry, but I don't need the reminder anymore."

Yasuhiro walked down from his garden and into the back room of the bar. This time he turned away from the front room and walked to the back wall, where his zanpakuto was mounted on the wall. He carefully picked up the sword and held it at eye level.

"Thank you. I think that I'm going to start hunting soon. But first, I think that a few people out there are gonna need a bartender."

The shinigami strapped his zanpakuto to his side and pulled a black fedora with a red stripe over his eyes. Nisshoku Yasuhiro flipped the lights off as he walked out of the bar.


	11. Chapter 10: Yamamoto Shigekuni

**AN: Hello everyone and welcome to the next installment of A Bar in Seireitei. Last time: Our hero had just finished fighting off the two alien invaders when a blonde ninja attempted to steal his precious lucky straw hat. Now he must travel the globe collecting shards from an ancient jewel in order to activate his giant mech's super mode and stop the portal to hell form opening. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach or any of the stories mentioned above.**

**Translations at the bottom.**

* * *

Chapter 10: Yamamoto Shigekuni

The elderly man stared up at the tall halberd. The Sokyoku was impressive even in its sealed state. The Kido Corps had almost finished preparing the seals but only half of the captains had arrived. Soi Fon stood off to the side, stone faced and serious as always. Captains Unohana and Shunsui stood resolutely by the Captain-Commander's side. Lastly, Captain Kuchiki was just arriving at the execution site.

Yamamoto waited for a few minutes before sighing at his remaining captains. He then turned his eyes to the girl bound before him.

"Kuchiki Rukia, do you have any last words?"

"Yes, please let those who came to rescue me go in peace. With me gone they won't have any reason to fight you anymore."

The old man sighed at the girl's words. 'Nobody ever wants something simple. I suppose I can at least give her some hope.' "Very well, I will give them the chance to surrender peacefully."

Rukia just smiled and took her place. Three stones emerged from the ground and lifted her high into the air.

"Release the Sokyoku!"

Immediately the ropes binding the great halberd unwound from its shaft and flew off of the hill. Then flames began to bleed off of it until a raging inferno surrounded the weapon. Everyone but the Captain-Commander wad forced to look away from the intense flames. The old man simply stared as the fire began to take the shape of a gigantic bird.

The phoenix raised itself off of the ground and pulled back its massive head, preparing to lunge at the helpless girl. The Captain-Commander heard Shunsui comforting his lieutenant as the bird dove for its target. As it drew nearer Yamamoto could feel the intensity of the flames increase as if they hungered to destroy the soul before them. The bird was only a few feet away from the helpless shinigami when the loud screech of metal on metal reached his ears.

Yamamoto's eyes widened as he saw two new forms in the way of the Sokyoku. Lieutenant Abarai Renji and the ryoka Kurosaki Ichigo floated before the phoenix with their crossed swords firmly in its path. Their combined strength had managed to stop the blade, but despite the impossible task neither shinigami showed the slightest sign of effort or fear. The Captain-Commander watched as the great bird drew back once again, preparing to unleash an even more powerful strike upon the two intruders.

But instead the old man saw three blurs race towards the Sokyoku. Captain Ukitake and his two third seats wrapped some form of wire around the bird's beak and planted the shield it was connected to firmly in the ground. Next, Yamamoto saw a fourth blur, Captain Shunsui, racing towards his friend.

"About time you got here!"

"Sorry, it took longer to unseal than I expected."

With that the two captains sliced the shield with their zanpakuto. Yamamoto's eyes widened as he saw the energy racing up the wire and into the Sokyoku, shattering the haft of the once powerful weapon. He stared in shock at the falling pieces as the sound of destruction came from behind him. He turned and saw Ichigo handing Rukia to Renji and telling him to run for his life. Three lieutenants immediately charged for the ryoka, each releasing their Zanpakuto.

Ichigo wasted no time in meeting the lieutenants. He destroyed the second division lieutenant's ball and chain with his bare hands. Next, he took advantage of Chojiro's shock and disarmed him before delivering a swift uppercut to the man's chin. Last, he took out Isane, sending her lying back before she even had a chance to raise her sword in defense. Yamamoto desperately wanted to step in, but when he saw Byakuya charge at Ichigo, he accepted the ryoka's imminent loss and turned to his pupils.

He saw both of them moving to defend their own underlings from Soi Fon and he moved without hesitation. He stared at the two captains and growled.

"The ryoka and lieutenant will be dealt with shortly, but your actions cannot be forgiven. Prepare yourselves."

Shunsui looked at his friend before returning his gaze to his teacher. "I guess it can't be helped then, let's get out of here Ukitake."

Both captains leapt off of Sokyoku hill and ran down the slope. The old captain followed closely behind them, pulling his sword out as he went. The captains, visibly exerting more energy than their leader, managed to keep their lead until Ukitake tripped and stumbled down the rest of the slope. Shunsui stopped to help his friend and that was when Yamamoto struck. The old captain swung his sword at the heads of his two pupils.

*CLANG*

Yamamoto stared at the sword blocking his, recognizing the unique hilt immediately.

"Nisshoku. Why have you come here?"

The bartender smirked at his teacher and ran his free hand over the brim of his hat. "You know, sensei, I was asking myself the same thing. Then I realized that I have a question for you."

"Oh? And what is that"

"Why don't you come to my bar more often?"

"…What? You're asking me about that? Not about Rukia's execution or the use of the Sokyoku or trying to kill my students?"

"The way I see it, all of these problems could be resolved if you and those uptight pricks in C46 would come in every once in a while and drink your troubles away."

"Stop wasting my time Nisshoku, You have not done anything unexplainable yet. I'd hate to have to kill three of my students in one day."

"Then I guess it's a good thing the only one you'll be fighting is me."

Shunsui nearly dropped his fellow captain in shock. "Yasuhiro what are you doing?! There's no way you can fight him by yourself; you haven't been in a real fight in years."

"Ukitake needs to get out of here and you need to make sure that everyone else is okay. I just need to knock some sense into his head. Trust me; I've been making people confront their problems for years."

Ukitake and Shunsui both looked ready to argue, but one more stern look from the bartender sent the two captains on their way. Yamamoto moved to intercept the fleeing captains, but the bartender made sure to keep himself between his teacher and classmates.

"I'm sorry sensei, but I can't let you go any further than this. I swore that I would help Rukia, and there is nothing you can say to stop me."

The Captain-Commanders eye's hardened. "Reduce All Creation to Ash –"

"Oh Schnapps!" The bartender turned to flee, even though he already knew he was too late to escape the blast.

"RYUJIN JAKKA!"

Yasuhiro stopped running and pivoted towards his teacher, holding the tip of his zanpakuto towards the oncoming flames. "Sink into the Darkest Abyss –"

A white hot fire washed over the bartender, completely engulfing his form. Yamamoto stared into the heart of the flames with sad eyes.

"I am sorry, you three were like sons to me, but I cannot forgive such treachery."

The Captain-Commander turned away to find his other two pupils when he saw something wrong with the flames. They weren't spreading the way they were supposed to. He focused once again on the heart of the fire, where his pupil had been standing when he unleashed his shikai. Yamamoto's eyes widened at the site of the flames spiraling inwards at chest height. Slowly, the flames began to shrink away revealing the form of the bartender.

Yasuhiro's hat had been blown away by the force of Yamamoto's attack and his coat was little more than ashes. He narrowed his eyes in focus as the flames rushed towards his right hand, singing his hair and clothes as it went. Finally, the flames died down enough to see what the bartender held.

It was a flask. It was not ornate or especially large, but the mouth, despite appearing normal form the side, seemed immense, as if it could devour anything. A gilded cap hung by a simple chain beneath the mouth. There was something engraved on to the silver body, but Yasuhiro's hand covered up the writing. A purple cord attached the flask to a black glove on Yasuhiro's right hand.

Yasuhiro flicked his wrist and the cap swung up onto the mouth, sealing the flames inside. The bartender's eyes stared defiantly at his teacher while his arm dropped to his side.

"Garando."

Yamamoto stared at the flask. If he was surprised it did not show on his face. He had seen Garando hold half a lake with little difficulty, and the flames that appeared when he released his zanpakuto were completely uncontrolled. It would not be difficult for the flask to absorb them.

"That trick will not save you again."

"Then I guess I'll have to learn a few more."

Yasuhiro slipped the flask into a holder on his wrist and bent his knees. He needed to be ready to avoid his teacher's next attack.

Yamamoto swung his sword and unleashed a wave of fire. The white hot flames burned a perfect circle into the ground, destroying everything in their wake. Yasuhiro tensed his legs and jumped over the approaching flames, tucking his knees up to his chest to prevent them from touching the fire. The heated wind rising from the flames dried his throat and blew his hat off his head, sending it flying clear of the destruction. When the flames ended, Yasuhiro stared down at his teacher, standing implacably in the center of the destruction, his cloak discarded and floating on the wind to reveal the massive muscles hidden beneath.

Yamamoto thrust his sword at the flying bartender, sending a spear of flames at him. Yasuhiro did not have time to grab the air with his reiatsu. The bartender spun himself around and threw his zanpakuto at the ground. It rocketed straight down, aided by the cooling air rushing back towards the ground, and landed with its mouth face down. Yasuhiro pulled on the string stretching from the flask and nearly avoided the head captain's flames. His left arm was still within range of the fiery spear, and the arm of Yasuhiro's suit was set ablaze.

Yasuhiro gritted his teeth in agony and crashed into the ground. He had dive to the side to avoid another flaming spear from his former teacher. He pulled back his flask and channeled his reiatsu into the body. A rush of water erupted from the mouth of the flask and the bartender threw it onto his arm. He jumped back to avoid a crescent of fire from Ryujin Jakka and drank from the flask.

"Taking a break already, boy? I thought you were better than that."

"Don't be like that old man. There's always time for a drink."

Yasuhiro grabbed the string hanging from his flask and threw his zanpakuto at Yamamoto. The head captain scoffed and dodged the small projectile. Behind the head captain's back the flask unleashed a torrent of water and attempted to wrap around the elder. Yamamoto held up his sword and blocked the razor sharp string. He heated up his blade and burned through the string, snapping it and sending the flask flying into the ground.

"Do you think your tricks can stop me? Something like that wouldn't even work on most hollows."

Yasuhiro ripped the left sleeve off of his suit and stared down his teacher. "Why is Kuchiki Rukia being executed?"

"You think I'm going to answer that now?" Yamamoto unleashed another wave of fire, this time spreading it high enough that Yasuhiro couldn't jump over it. The bartender sighed and muttered a spell under his breath. A translucent barrier sprung up around him. He clenched his fists as the flames hit the shield and tried to force their way through.

"Yes I do old man. You may have the strongest zanpakuto there is but you know as well as I do that this battle could last a long time if I don't get too close to you. There's no way in hell you're gonna unleash enough power to stop me from dodging while we're in the middle of Seireitei."

"You think one of your barriers can stop my flames?"

"Nope, the barrier is just a distraction. Hado number 4: Byakurai!"

A blast of white lightning came out from behind Yamamoto and hit him in the back. The head captain turned to find the source of the attack, but didn't see anyone behind him. When he turned to face Yasuhiro again, the bartender was gone.

"Are you a coward now Nisshoku? That trick of yours won't work again. Come out and face me!"

A shakkaho spell blasted at Yamamoto from the right and he destroyed it with his sword. "Do you think something like this can hurt me?!"

"Nah. I just didn't want you to hurt my suit anymore."

Yamamoto turned to see Yasuhiro wearing nothing but a pair of loose fitting pants. A large scar extended from his left shoulder down to his right hip, the pale white flesh looking sickly next to the tanned muscle surrounding it. The burns on his left arm were a blackened red and cracking, but he refused to show the pain on his face. The bartender flicked his wrist and his zanpakuto once again returned to his hand, the string having mended itself.

"Besides, I'm not the coward here."

The head captain's nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed as he swung his sword at the bartender, blue-white flames following behind the blade. Yasuhiro rushed forward, forgoing dodging in order to get close to the elder. He held up his right arm and met the edge of Ryujin Jakka with the side of Garando. The flask strained under the metal but held. Yamamoto sent out more flames from his zanpakuto, burning the side of Yasuhiro's face, but the bartender did not stop moving forward. He bent his legs and charged lunged forward, his flask scraping along the blade of the captain's sword and head butted his teacher. Yamamoto stumbled back and the bartender pressed his advantage, he jabbed with his left hand, hitting his teacher in the ribs, and launched a right cross at the old man's face. When his fist connected, Garando's mouth glowed blue and unleashed a sokatsui into the elder's face.

Yasuhiro jumped back from his opponent. Despite the power of the attack, he hadn't felt Yamamoto move at all. The smoke from the spell cleared. Yasuhiro stared into Yamamoto's angry eyes and gulped. The head captain did not have a scratch on him. The bartender shifted his right arm, feeling the skin burnt of his back crack and tear in protest. Yamamoto readied his sword and stared down his former student.

"So that's how you hit me earlier. You sent the kido spell through your zanpakuto and launched it from there. Clever. Maybe you're more capable in a fight than I thought."

"Oh schnapps." Yasuhiro moved as Yamamoto swung his sword again, sending out flames at least twice as fast as he had earlier. The bartender slid and back flipped over his teacher's attack. He landed on his shoulder and had to bite his lip to keep from screaming in pain. He rolled back to his feet and ran in the opposite direction. Yamamoto swung his sword down and a wall of flames blocked Yasuhiro's path. The bartender tried to turn around but another wall blocked him again. The bartender growled at the flames and looked at his teacher.

"Any chance you could go back to going easy on me? I'd really rather not die just yet."

"You have betrayed me and Seireitei. You have defied the orders of the Central 46 and aided in the escape of Kuchiki Rukia. I will give you one chance to surrender and face trial."

"Give up? But we're having so much fun. If I give up now who's gonna knock some sense into you?"

"You think I'm the one who can't see sense? You have betrayed everything I've taught you."

"You taught me to be a soldier. A soldier's job is to follow orders and obey the law. I'm not a soldier old man. I'm a bartender, and it's my job to look people in the eye and tell them to follow their heart. Right now, Seireitei doesn't need soldiers. You have dozens of recruits full of potential who can't see outside of their orders. One of them was nearly killed today. The daughter of a noble house and loyal shinigami who did everything in her power to protect innocent souls from being devoured. A shinigami with so much potential that she could become a captain some day. You are the head captain of the Gotei thirteen. You wrote half of the laws and studied every one you didn't. Why in the name of rum is Kuchiki Rukia being executed?"

"The Central 46 has declared that she is to be executed. They have deemed it a fitting punishment to her crime. I have no reason to disagree."

"That's bullshit. The Yamamoto I know knew better than to follow a command like that without asking why. There's no way you've changed this much since we last spoke. A good soldier questions his orders, why haven't you?"

"Why are you so insistent in fighting this? It's obvious that you can barely stand. I am about to execute you, why won't you surrender?"

"Isn't it obvious Sensei? Someone has wounded the heart of Seireitei, and it's a bartender's job to fix broken hearts."

Yamamoto sighed at his students decision and raised his sword to deliver the final blow. Yasuhiro closed his eyes and relaxed. The burns along his back and right side throbbed in pain as he fell to his knees. The bartender looked up at his teacher one more time.

"And I am a bartender, before everything else."

* * *

**Translations: **

**Ryujin Jakka: Flowing Blade of Flame**

**Garando: Void**

**Byakurai: White Lightning**

**Shakkaho: Red Fire Cannon**

**Sokatsui: Blue Fire, Crash Down**


	12. Chapter 11: Kyoka Suigetsu

**AN: Long time no see true believers! I apologize for the time since I last posted a chapter. Honestly I've spent most of my writing time working on a new chapter for my other story, Red of the Six, which I keep getting stuck on. I've also uploaded a new story, co-written with my friend KingOfShadowedOnes, called Reaper. It's another Bleach story so check it out on my profile if you're interested. I hope to be able to update next- Hmm Oh. Would the owner of the blue Prius please go to your car. Your lights are on and somebody slashed your tires. I repeat your lights are on. - Where was I? Oh well I'm sure it wasn't important.**

**Read and Review**

* * *

Chapter 11: Kyoka Suigetsu

"To all taichou, fukutaichou, and acting fukutaichou of the Gotei 13, as well as the Ryoka. This is Kotetsu Isane of the fourth division. This is an emergency message from Unohana-taichou as well as myself. Please listen carefully. Everything I am about to say is true."

* * *

As the message was broadcasted through all of Seireitei, Yamamoto lowered his sword. As its tip touched the ground, the blade once again took the form of a cane. The old captain walked up to the unconscious bartender.

"It would appear that there is much to discuss yet, my student. I do not know much in the ways of healing, but I can keep you alive for a little longer."

Yamamoto sat down by Yasuhiro and placed his hands on the bartender's chest. His reiryoku flowed down his arms and into his student's body. After a few minutes, the old captain hefted his fellow shinigami over is shoulder. They flickered from existence and reappeared on Sokyoku hill. The three traitors were surrounded by the remaining captains of Seireitei. Soi Fon and Yoruichi had their blades ready to strike him down.

Aizen Sosuke stood perfectly still. Despite the blades pressed against him he was smirking. Yamamoto set the bartender down and joined the circle around the traitors.

Aizen laughed and Soi Fong pressed her blade closer to his neck.

"What are you laughing about?"

"Because, it's time."

A bright pillar fell from the sky and the loyal members of Seireitei were forced to leap back away from the traitors. Aizen removed his glasses and crushed them in his hands. A massive hand ripped open the sky and dozens of Menos Grande tried to squeeze through. The ground around the three traitors erupted in a shower of stone and they began to rise within the golden pillars. Behind the menos a colossal eye gazed down at the residents of Seireitei.

A lone shinigami rushed at the pillar but the head captain's voice rang out. "Don't bother. That technique is called Negation; it places those within in a completely different dimension. Right now those three are out of our reach."

Aizen looked down at the bugs beneath him, but his face remained blank. "You are all arrogant fools. Nobody starts on the top of the world but tonight I start my ascent. I will rise up to the vacant throne in the sky, and I will rule."

The captains stared in silence as three of their own rose up to join the Hollows against them. But one man did not remain quiet. "If that's what you want Aizen then reach for the sky. But remember, when you're climbing to the top, there will always be people like me, and like the brat over there. People who don't care how high you are. People who will grab onto you and pull you back to where you started, and then drag you down even further. Fly high while you can Aizen, because I'll be watching, and the Abyss is always hungry."

At those words the hole in the sky closed and Aizen vanished into Hueco Mundo. The bartender watched it disappear and turned towards the captain. "So what the hell was that about?"

* * *

"Well that explains a lot. He must have been manipulating the captains secretly for years with Kyoka Suigetsu."

The captains all looked at him strangely, but it was Yamamoto who spoke. "What makes you so sure about that?"

Yasuhiro stretched out before crossing his arms behind his back and pacing in front of the captains. "To be frank you've all gone nuts. 'Cept Kenpachi and Mayuri, they've always been nuts. Fifty years ago none of you'd've been blindly following orders like this. Byakuya, what'd you do when the 46 decided to execute your sister?"

Byakuya started at being addressed but quickly schooled his features. "I have sworn to always follow the rules. Therefore I could not directly help her. Instead I asked my fukutaichou to discretely aid in the ryoka's quest to rescue her. Of course, as a captain I had to do everything in my power to stop them despite those orders."

The other shinigami stared at the captain. That logic was insane.

The bartender did not let the conversation stop. If it stagnated then they would be justifying it to themselves soon. "And you didn't try to help her? You didn't use your political connections to get her a lighter sentence? Or use her status as a noble to keep it as a family matter instead of a political one? You are more than capable of it."

"I am a captain of the Gotei 13. It is my duty to follow my orders to the letter."

"Are you sure that's what you think? That line sounds rehearsed to me."

Byakuya's stoicism faltered. He looked confused at the words he was saying. As if they belonged somewhere else. The bartender did not stop pressing.

"Why do you insist on following your orders so exactly? You look for loopholes like a politician, ways through the rules, but not ways to manipulate them."

"I-I swore on my parents' graves the day my wife died that-"

"And that's it? A promise made to the dead? Your wife was the greatest thing that ever happened to you. Why would her death change the fact that breaking the rules brought her into your life?"

Byakuya was visibly shaking. Sweat was rolling down his forehead and his eyes were growing wide. Yasuhiro tried for one more push, one more question.

"Why did you make that promise?"

"Because…because Aizen suggested it." Byakuya's face froze and his eyes, if possible, grew even wider. "We were talking after a captain meeting and he said something that made me think..."

"That breaking the rules killed your wife. A simple thought. An idea that his zanpakuto planted so firmly in your mind that it became a central part of your life. An idea that made a decision like sending your fukutaichou on a suicide mission against you seem perfectly logical. The power of Aizen's zanpakuto is not in illusion. It's in subtlety. Most likely, each of you has a similar story. There was a single moment when Aizen planted the thought in your mind that the rules were the most important thing in the world. It changed you, all of you, into the people you are today. Once that happened, Aizen didn't need to manipulate you directly. All he had to do was convince you the 46 issued an order, or made a ruling, and you would believe it without fail. The man is a genius. It was so damn subtle that I only noticed it when the sotaichou was yelling about orders being so important. If he'd been visiting the bar regularly I wouldn't have even noticed it."

The other captains stared at Byakuya's face in horror. He had long since dropped to his knees when his legs stopped working of their own accord. His eyes were frozen in shock and his skin had grown ghostly pale. Yasuhiro knelt next to him and helped him lay down. He looked at the remaining captains and sighed.

"Honestly? I think that you all need a shrink and a few years of therapy in order to sort through all of this. But right now we have a war to prepare for and every one of you needs to ready. So you'll have to settle for a drink and some bad karaoke."

Soi Fon glared at the bartender and reached for her blade. "You think that this is a time for jokes? We just lost three taichou's and half of our forces were defeated by a few human kids! We need to go after them."

Yasuhiro smiled and stood up to face the captain. "I think that four humans just helped to stop the execution of an innocent girl. I think that right now people aren't sure whether to be relieved or worried. I think that everyone have been working too much and resting too little. What we need right now isn't a war. It's a party. And I know the perfect place."


End file.
